


Time's Story

by Jaybird314



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time
Genre: But Mostly Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, I do not apologize for this, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), and ended up being mostly angst, this started as me wanting to flesh out headcanons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-13 05:40:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29646594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jaybird314/pseuds/Jaybird314
Summary: Once upon a time, there was a very young boy, forced to grow up much too fast.You've heard the story already, I'm sure. But this is not that one. So let's start over.Once upon a time, there was a Kokiri, who left the forest to save his friends, knowing he could never return.His name was Link, and he saved the world.The world is not kind.This is a warning.
Kudos: 19





	Time's Story

Once upon a time, a mother, bloodied and bruised, brought her child to the Lost Forest.

"Take care of him, please," she had begged, handing her child- a Hylian, as she was- to one of the Forest's own children.

They buried her in those woods, though they never knew her name.

Or, perhaps they did, once. None of them knew how long ago that had been. A few years? A few decades? 

The Lost Forest is a paradox. It is both static, and transformative. It is cyclical, it is cunning, and it is _very_ fond of children.

Perhaps in another world it might not have latched on to the child so tightly. Perhaps there he might've remained as Hylian as his mother. But this is not that world.

The child was named Link, and he was as much of a Kokiri as any of his siblings. 

This is his story.

You see, Kokiri are _odd_ little things. They're neither spirit nor mortal- their bodies are quite real, but they depend on their Guardian for their youth, and on their fairy for their life. They are born of saplings, created by the Great Deku Tree, and grow into something called a Korok. Many stay in this form, but others are chosen by a guarding spirit, a fairy, and with her help they become Kokiri.

Because of this symbiotic relationship, it is impossible for a Kokiri to exist without a fairy- if their fairy dies, so too do they. 

Except for one.

\---

"I am asking much of you, my child. It is within your right to refuse me."

" **...I can't,** " whispered Link, his voice echoing with whatever ancient magic had lingered with him since birth. " **There's no-one else.** "

The Tree sighed. "True... your brothers and sisters, they would fade outside this Forest, even with their fairies. I could not condemn them to such a fate. And yet... you too shall fade, in time."

Link nodded.

"You will never see your siblings again."

" **But they will live,** " Link whispered.

"...yes."

And the choice was made.

\---

The world outside the Forest was _loud_.

The people were too big, the sun too bright, the buildings too cold. Without Navi at his side, Link was certain he would have broken down the moment he entered the city.

...with her, he at least managed to find somewhere to hide, first.

The people all stared at him with something akin to horror when he spoke to them, hearing too many voices out of the mouth of a child. He learned to stop talking, after that. Even with Navi, he only spoke to her in his mind.

Link ran from the city for a time, promising to return as soon as he was able. And in doing so, he found his way onto a ranch.

Talon was the first person to give him shelter, after days of wandering the city streets, asking for any information he could get about the princess. He and his daughter Malon recognized him for the forest spirit he was, treating him with respect- though Talon still cared for him as a child.

(Link hadn't realized how much he had needed this.)

He needed to return, though. He had a task to complete, and one that might have a time limit. 

But at least now he had a home to return to.

\---

Link didn't even bother trying to get in through the front gates. He couldn't even talk to the guards, let alone get them to listen to him.

So instead, he snuck into the courtyard, and was immediately greeted by a very confused princess.

"Um."

Link stared at her silently. His thoughts had ground to a halt.

The princess tilted her head to the side. "You have a fairy on your shoulder," she informed him politely. He nodded. "Oh. Are you here to kidnap me?" Link frowned, and shook his head. "Well that's good. I think I'm meant to call the guards now, but I'm very bored and you look very interesting so I'm not going to do that."

Seeing his opportunity, Link held out his hand, uncurling his fingers to reveal the Emerald he held. The princess's eyes went wide.

" _So you are real,"_ she whispered reverently.

\---

The princess told him her name was Zelda- Zelda Lullan Hyrule, specifically, though she wasn't very fond of the name.

"Impa calls me Lullaby," she'd said, "but I think that sounds a bit... childish, I suppose."

She explained as much of the situation as she could- about Ganondorf the Gerudo King, about the Spiritual Stones, about her dreams.

"He is unnerving, yes, but... I don't know what to think," Zelda muttered. "Father hates the Gerudo- am I just following his biases? Am I reading too much into this?"

Link looked down at the ground, wishing he could speak without scaring her.

"I just... they all treat me like some dumb little kid. I'm almost thirteen! And I know magic when I see it! But I don't- I... maybe they're right, maybe I'm just-"

" **Stop.** " Link's voice was nothing more than a whisper, as always, yet it held a power to it. The princess froze, staring. " **I believe you.** "

"...you do?" 

Link nodded.

Zelda's shoulders sagged in relief. "I... you're the first person who's said that, you know. Even Impa seems to think I'm just playing a game."

" **...you're not frightened by me?** "

Zelda shrugged. "I don't know. Don't all Kokiri sound like that?" Link shook his head. "Oh. Well, I don't care. You're my friend, and friends aren't scared of each other."

" **We're friends?** "

"Yes. I decided so. And since I'm the princess that technically counts as a royal decree."

" **Oh. Okay.** "

\---

They made a plan, the kind of plan only children could make. 

Since Ganondorf had poisoned the Great Deku Tree, they figured he was going after the other Spiritual Stone, to access the Sacred Realm. ("Father says that's where something called the Triforce is, and if you have it you can do anything you want, so I bet that's what he's doing!")

So, of course, they decided that that meant Link had to get it first.

(Maybe, just maybe, something that powerful could bring the Deku Tree back... and perhaps, let him return home.)

They didn't act on it quickly- they couldn't, really. The two could only meet in secret, and Link was hardly prepared for a journey across the Skylands. He returned to the ranch and told Talon and Malon that the princess had given him a very important quest, though he wasn't sure Talon entirely believed him. Either way, Malon insisted she go with him to the castle next time.

\---

"...Link, why is there a person in my room."

"Hiya! Ahm Malon! Fairy Boy said he met the princess, so ah told him ah was comin' with!" 

" **She's very persuasive,** " Link added.

"Ah told him ah'd sic the cuccos on him if he didn't," Malon said proudly.

And that was just the start.

It took more than a bit of pleading from the princess, but Zelda eventually managed to convince her father that it would be good for her to get to know some children her own age- like, perhaps, that nice redhead girl that lived on Lon Lon Farm. Impa and Queen Zelda agreed, and the King was overruled by democracy.

Link continued to explore the area, getting used to the busy city, helping anyone he could, and developing a small arsenal of weapons and gadgets.

In time, he was ready to get the second Stone: the Gorons' Ruby.

Ready, but for one minor problem.

" **How can I talk to them without scaring them away?** "

"Could you write things down?" Zelda suggested. "The mountain is hot, but not so hot as to ignite paper."

Link stared at her. " **...I can't write,** " he explained. " **Or read.** "

"Wh- I thought you were a hundred years old or something!"

" **I said I** **_could_ ** **live to be that old,** " he corrected, not mentioning that that was no longer true.

(He was still a Kokiri. He had to be. He still had the ears of a Kokiri, could still feel the music of the wild places. He had gotten new boots because the old ones were worn down, not because they were too small. His hair certainly hadn't gotten any longer. _He was still a Kokiri_.)

Malon raised her hand. "What about your fairy?"

" **I think Navi can only talk to me.** "

" _Nope!_ "

All three children stared at the little ball of light that flitted above Link's shoulder. The light shifted, coalescing into the shape of a young woman- still barely more than a few inches tall, still a pale blue, still with gossamer wings at her back. Above all, she looked very annoyed. " _You've just never asked,_ " she corrected.

" _Oh my Hylia she's so small,_ " gasped Zelda. 

"That's a fuckin' fairy," said Malon in flat disbelief.

"Wh- _language!_ " 

"Hylian," Malon replied.

" **Do you think people will listen to you?** " Link asked of his fairy, ignoring his friends' bickering. 

" _They had better, or I'll make them,_ " said Navi, grinning wickedly. 

" **...thank you. I... I can't imagine...** " 

Navi held up a finger to Link's lips, glaring at his welling tears. " _Save the waterworks for Zora's Domain._ "

\---

Getting the other Stones wasn't as difficult as Link had expected. Time-consuming, certainly, but not difficult. It seemed almost too simple, really.

And when he returned home, he knew why.

He had barely managed to process what he'd seen- Zelda and her Sheikah caretaker, Impa, fleeing the city on horseback- when a man called out to him.

"You there! Little voe!"

The man was _huge,_ with yellow-amber eyes and hair as red as Malon's. Something about him terrified Link to his core, and, for some reason, made the birthmark on the back of his hand _burn_.

"The horse and riders that just left- did you see where they went?" His voice boomed in the empty streets, though, he remained polite. "I can pay you well, if that's what you'd like."

Silent, Link shook his head, and Navi remained hidden behind his cap. The man huffed in frustration.

"Very well. Thank you for your time."

And with that, Ganondorf Dragmire left in pursuit of the princess.

\---

He didn't have time to think. That was always it- time, _time,_ just a little more _time!_

Link stood in the Temple of Time, ocarina in hand, _trembling_.

He had to make up his mind. The Gerudo King would be here any second and he didn't have time to think.

_I'm doing this for Zelda,_ he told himself as he stepped towards the pedestal. _I'm doing this for the Great Deku Tree. I'm doing this for Malon and Talon and Saria and even Mido._

It was a beautiful sword, really. 

As his hand wrapped around the hilt, it almost felt like it was made for him.

\---

" _No more children,"_ her Grace had told her, sobbing tears of golden light. "I don't _care_ if you have to find someone less worthy- _no more children._ "

The Hero of Light had been nine years old when he first picked up a blade. He'd been fourteen when he pulled the Four Sword from its resting place. Never on Hylia's behest, only his own.

But her Grace hadn't cared.

"Fi, I give you this command," she'd said. "No-one under the age of sixteen shall be allowed to wield you. If they be Zora, they must be at least eighty years of age."

"I understand."

Fi wanted to serve her new master well. But he was Kokiri. Did the same rules apply to him? He had lived much longer than his nine-year-old body implied, but, he was still a _child._

...she would find a solution. Her master was desperate for her help, she couldn't just abandon him.

She just hoped she was doing the right thing.

\---

They would say he slept for those seven years. They would say he was held in a stasis of sorts, almost like a coma.

This is _almost_ true.

He was aware _something_ was happening, but he didn't know what. He could feel his body ache, could feel a constant soreness in every muscle. He could hear his own heartbeat. He could hear Navi's frantic voice against the growing winds, even if he couldn't make out the words.

Link kept his eyes shut out of sheer terror, not knowing what he'd see should he open them. The raging winds drew his breath from his lungs, but he couldn't move. His body ached and it hurt and he _sobbed._

_Please make it stop_

But it didn't. Not just yet. Not until after the hilt burned against his hands, filling his arms with a fiery warmth. It moved through his body, even as he desperately tried to pull away. It didn't hurt, but he could recognize magic in his sleep, and whatever this was, he didn't want it.

But finally it was done, and Link fell back against the Temple floor. He didn't move, at first, instead letting his quiet tears fall from his eyes.

" _...Link? Is- is that… is that really you?_ "

"Navi?" he croaked out, barely recognizing the sound of his own voice. "What… what happened to me?"

" _I can't…_ " Navi's voice was quiet, almost frightened. " _I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, is- I don't think that… I can't…"_

Link frowned. Groaning, he moved a hand to his face to rub his eyes, and-

_That's not my face_

He sat up with a panicked gasp, blinking the exhaustion from his eyes. His hands, they looked- bigger, _rougher,_ almost like-

almost like an adult's. 

"N- no, this- this isn't-" His breath quickened, his lungs seizing and stuttering as he tried and failed to stand. "This- this isn't _real,_ I'm not- _I'm a Kokiri!_ "

" _Link…_ "

"I'm a Kokiri," he repeated. "Im- I'm a- I-" his breath hitched in his throat and he gasped for air, unfamiliar hands clutching at an unfamiliar throat. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't _breathe-!_

_What am I?_

“Be calm, Hero of Time.”

Link’s gaze snapped up to see a strange man standing in front of him, looking down with a detached expression. “Wh- who-?” Anything further Link would’ve said was broken as his body continued to shudder and seize.

Navi settled at his side in her physical form, tiny hands pressing gently at the cloth of his tunic. “ _Breathe, Link- focus on your breathing, okay? Don’t you give up on me after everything you’ve put me through!_ ” The strange man said nothing, made no move to help.

Navi spent ten minutes helping Link to breathe, to process- though for both of them it felt like hours. Even when the constant gasping faded, he still sobbed quietly- crying, not because he wanted to, but because he couldn’t _stop._

“ _Now-_ ” Navi shifted back to her spirit form, fluttering angrily in front of the stranger’s face. “ _Who the hell are you!? What did you do to Link?_ ”

“I am the Sage of Light,” said the man calmly, as if that answered anything. “I guard this place, the Temple of Light, and its ancient seal- the barrier between this world, and the Sacred Realm.” He ignored Navi, his constant gaze boring down on Link. “I have been awaiting your return, Hero of Time.”

“Why do-” Link paused, both to hold back his tears, and to feel at his throat- that wasn’t his voice, was it? Why did… why did he sound _normal?_ “Why do you keep calling me that?”

The Sage smiled. “Because it is your name, of course. Or rather, your title. When you return, I suggest you avoid using your actual name- it will bring far more questions than you might like.”

“ _You still haven’t answered my other question,_ ” grumbled Navi, retreating to her usual place above Link’s shoulder.

“I have done nothing to your companion, fairy,” the Sage told her. “His fate is tied to that sword at your side- the Master Sword.” Link didn’t recall finding and wearing a scabbard for the strange sword he’d found in the Temple of Time, and yet there it was at his hip. “Tell me, Hero- why did you draw the sword?”

“...I wanted to save Zelda,” he replied meekly. “There was a man who was going to kidnap her and use the Sacred Stones to get into the Temple of Time, so, I thought, whatever was in there had to be really powerful, right? So- maybe I could use it to save her.”

The Sage’s expression turned to one of pity. “...of course. You were both just children. You were right about Ganondorf’s intentions, but… Hero of Time, by drawing the sword when you did, you gave him access to the Sacred Realm. That was…” The Sage sighed. “That was seven years ago now.”

The Temple was silent, save for Link’s shuddering breaths, his quiet whispers to himself. 

“Your journey is not done yet, Hero,” said the Sage quietly, solemnly. “I do not know why the Sword hid you away for these years, or why it chose to return you now. But you are _needed_ here.”

“ _What he_ **_needs_ ** _is for you to leave him alone!_ ”

“N- Navi-”

“ **_No!_ ** _I don’t care what grand fate you want to dump on his shoulders, I won’t have it!_ ”

“Navi- please, just… hear him out.”

Navi stilled, then sighed, settling atop Link’s shoulder. “ _...fine._ ”

The Sage nodded. “I am- I am one of seven different Sages,” he explained. “With the power of all seven, I believe that we can seal Ganondorf away, confine him to the Sacred Realm. But a Sage cannot take up their role if they have not been awakened- if they have not realized their true potential. But they can be recognized with these-” The Sage held out a shining gold medallion in his hand, offering it to Link. “Once all seven medallions are returned to this Temple, the other Sages will be summoned.”

“ _But why_ **_him?_ ** _Why not do it yourself, or pay some mercenary to do it?_ ” grumbled Navi.

“Because only another Sage can hold a medallion- a Sage, or, a Hero.”

“...I’m not a hero, though,” said Link, staring at the item in his hands. “I’m the reason Ganondorf got to this- this Sacred Realm in the first place.”

“...perhaps. Or, perhaps, he would have found a way to it on his own. Or perhaps you managed to prevent something even greater,” replied the Sage. “It does not do well to dwell on the past.”

The past? What else did Link have, now? Seven years… was Zelda still alive, or had she been taken away by Ganondorf? What about Malon? Were the oth- the Kokiri safe?

...but the Sage was right. He couldn’t go back. The past was gone, now. He’d long since run out of time.

“I’ll do it,” said the Hero of Time. “I’ll go.”

And the world faded to grey.

\---

Seven Sages.

A single Hero and his fairy.

Hyrule is a large place, let alone the rest of the Skylands. And scouring the known world? 

Later on, others would ask him how long his first adventure took him. How many months? How many years? And he would simply smile, and leave the question unanswered.

(It was the sort of question best left that way.)

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. 

Upon leaving the Temple of Light, the Hero returned to where he had left- the Temple of Time- to be greeted by an unfamiliar face.

“...what the _fuck?_ ” replied the masked stranger. “Why did you just fall out of a portal?”

“ _Why are_ **_you_ ** _wearing bandages on your face?_ ”

“That’s- it’s a scarf, and you haven’t answered my question. And what are you…” The stranger trailed off, his eyes growing wide upon fully registering Navi. “...ah. It’s you, then.”

“ _Is this some more ‘fate’ and ‘destiny’ stuff?_ ”

“Unfortunately, yes.” The stranger moved to help the Hero up off the ground where he’d landed rather awkwardly- which, he noted, would be the second time he’d greeted a stranger by falling over. “I am Sheik, last of the Sheikah people.”

“I’m…” The Hero trailed off, frowning. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to call myself. The Sage guy said I shouldn’t call myself ‘Link’ anymore.”

Sheik nodded. “You are the Hero of Time, are you not?” he asked. “Perhaps, then, just… ‘Time’.”

“...I think I like that,” said Time, and Sheik smiled beneath his mask.

\---

After fighting his way through the hellish husk that remained of Castle Town, Time’s first goal was to answer the question that had been burning in his head since he’d awoken- _what happened to Malon?_

He didn’t find her at first, instead finding a man he only vaguely remembered running the place in Talon’s stead. Time quickly decided that he very much did not like this ‘Ingo’ person.

How this led to him stealing a horse, he wasn’t sure, but Epona seemed quite content with the whole affair.

Time assumed that this whole ‘adventure’ thing might put the thought of home out of his mind, but… it turned out that the Forest Temple was somewhere in the Lost Woods. 

(They didn’t even _recognize_ him anymore. But how could he blame them? He didn’t even recognize himself.)

So when Sheik taught him a song that would allow him to return whenever he wished, Time thanked him, told him he’d return soon, and rode Epona back towards Lon Lon Ranch. They rode through the night, and by the time they arrived, it was barely dawn.

Time practically fell out of the saddle, exhausted by his emotions. He told Epona to wait for him out in the fields- even if he wasn’t really Kokiri anymore, some bits of the Forest’s magic lingered on him, enough that Epona understood him. Pulling the traveling cloak that Sheik had given him tightly around his shoulders, he fell back against one of the outlying sheds.

This was real.

It hadn’t really caught up to him until now. Since the Temple of Light, everything had felt distant, illusory, like walking in a dream. Even the few injuries he’d sustained fighting his way out of Castle Town had felt… they hadn’t even been painful. They just existed.

Then… then he saw the Kokiri. And reality slammed into him like a hammer to an anvil, pounding it in: _this is real, and there’s no going back._

Time stared at his own hands in silence. They ached, and it felt like they were burning. Everything was too- too real? He didn’t even know how to describe it. All of his senses were screaming at him. There was nowhere to run, because he couldn’t run from his own mind. So he just sat there, silent, numb. 

“Wh- hey! Th’ hell’re ya doin’ out here!?”

Time was jolted out of his thoughts by a very annoyed and very familiar voice.

_...Malon?_

“Don’t just sit there lookin’ like a fool!” she continued, marching over to him with her sleeves rolled up. Almost everything about her was different, from the clothes she wore to the shape of her body, but Time knew it was her. If her voice hadn’t given it away, her brilliant Gerudo-red hair would have.

_...she doesn’t recognize me either,_ he realized, stumbling to his feet at Malon got nearer. “I- I’m sorry,” he mumbled, still unused to the sound of his own voice. “I wasn’t-”

“Ahm not gonna just let someone sit out there in th’ cold, now am ah?” she asked rhetorically, still sounding just as annoyed. “Come on, now, let’s get ya inside- Ingo’s got a fire goin’. Lazy bastard’s not good for much, but he at least knows not t’ burn down his own house.”

Time followed her without argument, sending a thought to Navi to stay hidden in his cloak, which she did, though not without complaint. Once inside, Malon sat him down on one of the couches, very politely and very forcefully telling him he wasn’t going anywhere until he had some food in his stomach. Time noted that Malon’s core personality hadn’t changed in the slightest.

_...maybe it’s best she doesn’t recognize me,_ he thought. _I disappeared for seven years, and… and I ruined everything. I wouldn’t be surprised if she hates me- or would if she knew what I did._

Regretting his decision, Time moved quietly back to the door, hoping that Malon wouldn’t-

“Now where d’ya think you’re goin’?”

_Shit._

“I shouldn’t be here,” muttered Time, refusing to meet her eyes. “I- I need to go.”

“Oh no ya don’t!” insisted Malon. “You’re gonna sit your ass right back down so ah can thank ya for bringin’ Ingo down a peg with that stunt ya pulled with Epona.”

“...what?”

Malon placed a tray of warm bread rolls down on the room’s main table, before very pointedly sitting down and smiling at him. “Don’t be shy, now.”

Slowly, Time stepped back towards the couch and sat back down. “Y- you saw…?”

“No. But ah heard,” she said, taking one of the bread rolls. “And that’s th’ odd thing, y’see. ‘cause th’ only people who know Epona’s Song are me, m’ pa, and an old friend of mine. And you ain’t any one of ‘em, and ah know me n’ pa haven’t taught anyone else.” Malon smiled ever so sweetly, not quite hiding the malicious glint in her eyes. “So. Where’d ya learn that song, stranger?”

“...a friend taught me,” Time replied quietly, trying to hide how his hands shook. “A- a long time ago.”

“Mhm. An’ what might that friend’s name be?”

“...Malon. Her name was Malon.”

The room was quiet enough that the sound of Malon’s bread roll hitting the floor was all too clear. “...prove it.”

Time looked over at her in surprise. “Wh…?”

She stood up suddenly, her face flat and emotionless. “If ya are who ya say ya are, y’should be able t’ prove it.” Time realized very suddenly that his cloak also served the purpose of hiding his very much non-Hylian ears. 

“ _I should be proof enough, I think._ ”

Time watched in silent concern as Navi drifted from her hiding spot, hovering in the air in front of Malon. 

“...tha- but- but y’all were…” Malon’s eyes darted back and forth between Navi and Time. “... _how?_ ”

“...it’s a long story,” said Time quietly, solemnly. “I… Malon, I’m so sorry. I- I didn’t mean for any of this-!” His breath hitched as tears welled up in his eyes once again, and he gripped at the thick cloth of his cloak.

Malon sat back down, still staring at him. “...you’re alive,” she whispered in awe. Time just nodded silently. “You’re… ah thought- ah thought Kokiri-?”

“I’m not Kokiri anymore. I- I haven’t been since I left the Lost Forest.”

“But- _seven years!_ Ganondorf’s had his soldiers lookin’ for ya since th’ day he took over!”

“I- I wasn’t-” Time shook his head. “I don’t really understand it either? There was a sword, and when I tried to pull it, it…” He looked down at his hands again. “Something happened. And when I woke up… seven years had passed. There was a man who called himself a Sage, he said I was the ‘Hero of Time’ or something. Sh- Sheik just calls me ‘Time’ though…”

Malon shook her head slowly in disbelief. “Holy Hylia… ah don’ even… are you _okay?_ ”

“...no? I don’t know? It’s… it’s kind of a long story.”

Malon sighed, looking at the plate of bread rolls. “...well then. Ah’ve got a damn busy day ahead a’ me, an’ Ingo’s not gonna be any help. So how ‘bout this, fairy boy- you tell me what th’ hell happened since ah last saw you while ya help me out, yeah?”

Time smiled. “I… I think that would be nice.”

\---

It became a comfortable pattern between the two of them. Time at first returned to the Lost Forest, where Sheik waited for him, but found the Forest Temple too difficult a challenge for the time being. He still had all his equipment with him, but, it was all made for a child. Furthermore, he was still getting used to his body, and exploring a Temple was fairly difficult when you kept tripping over your own feet. So he returned to Sheik once again, and the two agreed that, all things considered, it would be better for Time to return again once he was ready.

So Time explored the world, helping anyone he came across, finding tools and trinkets and anything he thought could help. He’d sleep at inns or make camp come nightfall, but both he and Malon knew that it wouldn’t be long before he ended up at the ranch again. So, she would put him to work, always patient with his clumsiness, and they would talk.

Sometimes it was concerning Time’s mission- where had he gone, what had he learned, had Malon heard any rumors?- but more often than not, they simply… talked. 

“How old are ya now, anyways?” Malon asked him one day.

Time’s only response was, “I don’t know. I don’t know how old I was before.”

“Huh. Y’look sixteen or so.”

“Is that a lot?”

“Ah’d like to think so, since that’s how old ah am, an’ ah’ve managed pretty well on my own.”

“What about Talon?”

Malon didn’t answer. Time asked a few times after that, but every time, she didn’t answer. 

He stopped asking after that.

\---

When Time returned from the Forest Temple, he was in tears before he even got off the saddle. Secrets came spilling out as soon as Malon sat him down, stories of Kokiri and Hylians and something in between. A story of a sister, the closest thing he had to a mother, bound to the Forest when he was not.

A story of two children being forced to grow up, each in their own way.

He always came back with a story, really- some sad, some happy, some simply bizarre. A story of a family cursed to become monsters. A story of some very brave Gorons that helped him slay a dragon. A story of floor tiles that came to life to smack him in the face. 

There was another story, though, Malon was sure of it. A story he was hiding. Something to do with that ocarina he carried- hadn’t that belonged to Zelda, way back when? It looked worn and used, though it still held a beautiful blue gleam to it.

She ended up finding out on accident, really. Mind you, were it not for her curiosity, it wouldn’t’ve happened at all, but that’s not the point.

Malon had been running after a stray cow near nightfall, when she heard Time’s ocarina playing in the distance. So, once she found the cow and leashed it to a nearby tree, she followed. And she saw a ghost.

Time appeared out of nothing, fading into view, looking as he had seven years ago. As the song played on, the image flickered, and Time stood before her as the (probably) sixteen-year-old she knew. He saw her, and froze. “ _Well, shit,_ ” muttered Navi.

Malon didn’t say anything, just raised an eyebrow and put a hand on her hip, and Time practically wilted. “This- I can explain,” he insisted.

“...this some more of that fairy magic nonsense?”

“I… I don’t think so,” Time admitted. “Sheik taught it to me. The song- it lets me affect the past, but… only in little ways. I can talk to people, but they… they never recognize me. And as soon as I leave they forget.” The haunted look in his eyes told Malon just how many times he’d tried. “I- I can’t stay there for very long either. A half-hour, maybe.”

“An’ when ya go back, ya look how ya did back then,” said Malon. Time nodded. “Can ya… can ya take anyone else with ya? Other than Navi, ah mean.”

“No,” Time told her bluntly. “Is it possible? Maybe. Am I willing to? _No._ ”

Malon nodded. “That’s… prob’ly for th’ best, really.”

“...I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before.”

“We all have our secrets, fairy boy,” she said quietly. Her mind briefly drifted to her father, but she pushed the thought away as soon as it came. “Speakin’ of- when am ah gonna meet this ‘Sheik’ character of yours? Ah’ve got a few pieces o’ mah mind to give to him!”

“Wh- _Malon, no-_ ”

\---

“...can I ask you something?”

“You’re askin’ me somethin’ right now.”

“Very funny.”

“Naw, ya go right ahead.”

“Both Sheik and the Sage of Light said I probably shouldn’t go by ‘Link’ anymore- do you know why that is?”

Malon grimaced. “Well, y’see… it’s not really a _name_ anymore. Ah mean, it _is?_ But ah can’t imagine anyone namin’ their kid that.”

“What? Why?”

“Uh, there was some fancy king or th’ like named ‘Link’, so everyone just had to name their kid th’ same, and after a while it was so common it just started bein’ used as like, ‘hey, you!’ if y’didn’t know someone’s name,” Malon explained. “Someone don’t wanna give their actual name? They call ‘emselves ‘Link’.”

“Huh.”

“Yep.”

“I think I actually like ‘Time’ better even without that. I don’t know why, though.”

“Ah think it suits ya.”

\---

Malon opened the door to be greeted not just by Time- who looked absolutely delighted- but also by a very small child. “Uh.”  
  


“You’re Malon Lon, then?” asked the little girl, who didn’t speak much like a little girl ought to. Malon nodded. “It’s very nice to meet you!”

And then Malon noticed the ears.

“...you’re a Kokiri,” she realized. The girl nodded, and a tiny blue fairy that wasn’t _quite_ the same color as Navi flew over from one of the fence posts and onto the girl’s shoulder. Malon looked up at Time in confusion. “Ah thought y’alls couldn’t leave the forest?”

“Saria’s the Sage of the Forest Temple,” Time explained excitedly. “Darunia- he’s the Sage of the Fire Temple- figured out that, even though they’re bound to the Temple of Light, they can leave as long as they’re with another Sage- or, um, with me,” he added awkwardly.

“My little brother’s been telling me all about you,” said Saria, grinning. “I’m so glad I’m able to meet with you in person.”

Malon laughed. “Your little brother’s an absolute gremlin, Saria,” she said as she gestured for them both to come in. 

“Malon…” Time just groaned, blushing.

“We Kokiri do tend to be a bit, ah, _chaotic,_ ” Saria admitted, despite being the polar opposite of that description as she sat down politely in the main room. “And Li- er, _Time,_ got along rather well with the Skull Children. Probably better than he did with other Kokiri, I would argue.”

“That was kinda Mido’s fault,” Time muttered, as Malon grabbed some tea for herself and Saria- Time couldn’t stand the stuff, she knew. “At least the Skull Kids made fun of each other just as much as they made fun of me.”

Saria. “Link…”

“ _Time,_ ” corrected Navi. 

“Time. I- I’m sorry. For everything.”

Time looked up in surprise. “Wh- no, no, Saria, you didn’t do anything wrong!” he insisted. “I- I was never meant to be a Kokiri. Everyone else knew that. That was never your fault.”

Malon frowned as she set down the tea set, but didn’t say anything. _A parent can try their best an’ still make mistakes,_ she thought to herself. _Ah guess the same counts with big sisters._

“...I think, in some ways, you were more in tune with the Forest than any of the rest of us,” Saria mused as she took her cup and stirred in some of the fresh milk. “If you hadn’t been chosen as the Hero, I imagine you would have taken my place as Sage. A Kokiri that can survive without a fairy, a Hylian chosen by the Forest itself. A child that speaks with too many voices. It’s no wonder the Skull Kids saw you as one of their own.”

Time said nothing, choosing instead to look down at his hands where Navi had chosen to perch. She, too, was silent, though Malon was almost certain that was only because she was fairly loud in Time’s head. “Ah thought that whole voice nonsense was a Kokiri thing in th’ first place,” she said, trying to change the subject, even if only slightly. “Ain’t that why he don’t sound like that anymore?”

Saria shook her head. “No. Not even the Great Deku Tree knows.”

“...I might, actually,” said Time quietly, not looking up. “It’s, ah… I didn’t say anything before because I figured you might think I was mad.”

Malon frowned. “What d’ya mean? Are ya alright?”

“I think I know what you’re talking about,” said Saria. “You’re talking about your old ‘imaginary friends’, aren't’ you?” Time nodded. 

“As long as I can remember, I would hear… not voices? But thoughts in my head that I knew came from someone else,” he explained hesitantly. “They’re still there, now, but, they’re clearer- I can actually talk to them. And I realized, it’s _their_ voices. When I would talk, they’d be speaking too.”

“...ah wish ah could say that was one o’ the weirder things ah’ve heard lately, but unfortunately ah cannot.”

Time chuckled. “They, uh- I can’t really see them that clearly? And I hear them the most when I’m fighting, or in danger in some way. I don’t really know why they’re not speaking alongside me anymore, though.”

Saria frowned. “There are… there have been other Heroes throughout history, said to be blessed by either Hylia or Farore- the stories vary. The Chosen Hero- who may also be the Hero of the Skies, or that might be someone else- the Hero of Men, the Hero of Light, the Hero of the Minish, the Hero of the Four Sword… though, again, the records are quite spotty; it’s not known if those last four are four different Heroes or just the one. Apparently that’s quite the debate among some scholars. I wonder if these ‘voices’ are past Heroes, guiding you.”

“...maybe,” said Time. “I kind of doubt it, though.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because they’re all just as scared as I am.”

\---

Time had returned to the ranch wounded before- sometimes it was nothing more than some scrapes and bruises, and sometimes he’d pass out as soon as Malon got him in the house. But he’d always been able to come home before. 

She’d wanted to meet Sheik. She had never wanted to meet him like this.

The Sheikah man was standing at the entrance to the ranch, carrying someone in his arms, both of them bloodied and bruised. “Please,” he whispered, his voice scratched and torn. “He said you… you could help…”

Malon’s heart skipped a beat as she realized that the figure in Sheik’s arms wasn’t a corpse, but was _Time-_ his tunic stained rust-red, his leg twisted unnaturally, scratches covering his arms and face…

“I’ll help you get him into the house,” she said bluntly. “The moment he’s laying down, you lay down as well- no arguments!” she added, seeing Sheik’s face. “You’re in almost as bad a shape as he is.”

“I can see why he likes you,” Sheik mumbled, sounding almost delirious (he must’ve been losing blood for a while- they both needed help, soon). “You’ve got spirit.”

They got Time onto the guest bed where he usually slept, and Malon eventually managed to get Sheik to stay laying down on one of the couches. “Where’s Navi?”

“Mmm… dunno,” said Sheik. “Uhh… hiding. Was… scary. Really scary.” He laughed- he was _definitely_ delirious now. “Scared of th’ bongo man! Bongo bongo bongo bongo bongo man…”

Leaving Sheik to his rambling, Malon rushed over to the threshold of the guest room. “Navi? Navi, you’re safe now. We need your help.” A moment passed before Navi finally peeked out from Time’s bag, in her physical form rather than her spirit form- something Malon had learned was rather comforting for fairies at times, helping to ground them. “I need you to send one of your sisters to get the healer from in town. Can you do that?” Navi nodded, uncharacteristically silent (she would normally talk up a storm when Time was injured) as she flew out the open window.

The next fifteen minutes was little more than a blur. She rather forcibly recruited Ingo’s help in bandaging the two patients and trying to keep their wounds from opening further. Sheik would come in and out of consciousness, babbling about bongos and secrets and dresses, while Time remained unconscious the whole time. As soon as Navi had passed on her message, Malon assigned her to keeping a constant eye on Time to make sure he was still breathing.

The healer arrived quickly, thankfully. She was as old as the hills and just as good as them when it came to keeping secrets. Anyone else might’ve ratted them out to Ganondorf’s forces, but Pya had seen plenty of kings and queens come and go, and wasn’t about to let politics get in her way. She treated Time first, recruiting the help of three of Navi’s sisters just to get him to a point where Pya was willing to leave him on his own for a minute. Another two fairies were needed to get Sheik stable and lucid, though he was (thankfully) far too tired still to try and fight. For the most part, that is.

The issue came when Pya started to remove Sheik’s scarf.

His eye opened in terror. “Please…”

“If I don’t treat you proper-like, you could very well die,” said Pya flatly. “I can’t do that if I can’t see your wounds. I don’t care if you’re the lost princess herself, you’re going to let me treat your wounds or so help me Hylia.”

Sheik stared at her in suspicion, before giving a huff of amusement and laying back down. “Funny you should say that,” he muttered. “Y’can’t- you can’t tell anyone. They’ll… they’ll kill me. _He’ll_ kill me…”

“I have never answered to any king of Hyrule before, and I’m not about to make an exception now,” Pya assured him. 

Malon frowned. “Ingo? Go back to your nap.”

“What?”

“I don’t think he wants anyone else here,” said Malon. “I’ll leave too, so-”

“No!” Sheik desperately tried to sit up, before Pya gently pushed him back down. “No, I… you… please, Malon. Stay.”

“I’ll have to remove your binder,” Pya added as she began unwrapping Sheik’s scarf. “Don’t worry- you’re not the first man like you I’ve met, and I doubt you’ll be the last.”

Malon wanted to ask what Pya meant like that, but, she didn’t get the chance. Because she recognized the face under the scarf.

“... _Zelda?_ ”

“Sheik. I- I haven’t been ‘Zelda’ in a while now.”

“...does Time know?”

“No. And he can’t,” Zel- _Sheik_ insisted. “It was… it was a disguise, at first, but… well. I never did feel like much of a girl in the first place.”

He fell asleep soon after that. 

Pya returned to her apothecary, having accepted some fresh milk and eggs as payment. Malon ended up having to pay Ingo, as well, if only to make sure no secrets were spilt. Ingo was more than happy to accept, though, he admitted, he didn’t actually hear any of what happened after he left. Navi stayed with Time, and Malon stayed with Sheik.

...a few years ago, just before this all started, if you’d told her she would soon see both of her childhood friends again, she wouldn’t have believed it. Yet here she was. Her fairy boy and her princess- well, prince, rather. 

The next few days were ones of stories, of course. Stories of a well ( _“Sheik couldn’t go with me. It was just me and Navi. I… I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared before.”_ ), stories of a man that had been mutilated into a monster ( _“It was in so much pain…”_ ), stories of a place full of death ( _“We both went in.” “I’d not been able to accompany him before, but… I’m glad that this was the exception. I can’t imagine facing such a place alone.”_ ), stories of past atrocities ( _“I had heard stories of my people doing such things in service of the crown, but… even the darkest horror stories pale in comparison. I can’t help but wonder… who else knew? How many of those I once looked up to, knew?”_ ), and stories of a beast, warped and twisted ( _“Y’can’t really expect me t’ believe this thing was called ‘Bongo Bongo’.” “I wish it had been as playful as the name suggested.” “Sheik, did that thing really used to be a person?” “...there is a reason I’ve advised you to avoid using the Lens of Truth too often, Time.”_ ).

“...ah wish ya didn’t have t’ do this, fairy boy,” said Malon solemnly. “Ah know there’s not a better option, but…”

“Only one Sage remains, yet,” Sheik told her quietly. It wasn’t much of a reassurance, though, and they both knew it. 

“...then what?”

Time’s voice was flat, and barely more than a whisper. He stared down at his hands- even now, they felt _wrong,_ like they weren’t really _his._ How old was he, now? Mentally, he was around fifteen, by his estimate. Physically, though? Probably somewhere in his early twenties already. The curve of his ears and the fairy on his shoulder screamed _Kokiri,_ but… Kokiri don’t grow old. 

He’d stopped being a Kokiri six years ago.

But he still had a world to save.

(Before he and Time fully left, Sheik held back to speak with Malon. “I stayed back, before,” he told her, regret evident in his voice. “I thought that would be better- safer, for both of us. But I was wrong. Whatever else remains, he won’t face it on his own.”)

(“He never did,” Malon told him, smiling. “Not with Navi at his side, and a home t’ come back to. But, ah think… he still has need of an old friend.”)

(“I’m not who I used to be,” Sheik insisted.)

(“An’ neither am ah.” Malon grinned. “Go help him save th’ world, Prince Sheik. I’ll be here waiting for you when ya get back.”)

\---

Having Sheik by his side made Time’s exploration of the Gerudo fortress much, much easier than it could’ve been

Sheik actually knew of the Gerudo’s customs, and that the only voe permitted would be those who proved themselves worthy. And if there was one thing Time was very sure he was skilled at, it was combat.

(He’d never thought of himself as a violent person before- he still didn’t, really- but that was a thought for another time.)

Sheik spoke with the temporary Gerudo leader, Aveil, while Time waited outside. He wasn’t very good at negotiating with people, but the Gerudo seemed okay with Sheik as long as Time was okay with him. Which was odd, since Sheik had proven himself just as much as Time had. When he brought this up with one of the Gerudo guards, she just scoffed.

“He is a skilled warrior,” she admitted, “but I simply cannot understand why someone would _choose_ to be a voe.”

“Oh.”

“Mm.”  
  


“...what’s a voe?”

The guard stared at him. “Wh- you _know,_ ” she insisted, stumbling over her words. “There are voe and there are vai. I am a vai, as is Aveil,” she explained. “You and your friend Sheik are voe.”

“Oh! Because people call you ‘she’ but they call me ‘he’,” said Time.

“Well, yes…” The guard shuffled in place. “I mean. It’s more complicated than that. It’s… voe are _different_ from vai.”

“How?”

The guard blushed bright red. “I- I mean- it’s _complicated._ ”

Time kicked his feet against the wall of the tiered fortress where he sat. Kokiri all came from Koroks, and Koroks all came from the Great Deku Tree. Malon had rather exasperatedly explained to him that most species were different, after his confusion over the various farm animals. 

But didn’t that just determine if people called you ‘he’ or ‘she’? Why would the Gerudo be so hung up on something that small? Time already knew Sheik used to go by ‘she’, but, why did they care that he liked ‘he’ better? 

It was bizarre. In the back of his mind, Navi silently agreed. Maybe Sheik could explain better.

\---

“...excuse me? We’re in the middle of a temple that’s trying to _kill us,_ and you want to ask me _why I’m a boy?_ ”

“...I mean, we can talk as we keep going,” said Time plainly. “I was just curious.”

“Oh Hylia. This is.. this is _not_ a discussion I want to have with you right now. Or _ever,_ actually.”

Time frowned. “Oh. I’m sorry. I just- I was just curious why you stopped liking being called ‘she’.”

Sheik froze in place. “What.”

“I mean, I understand not wanting to be called ‘Zelda’ anymore? But I don’t understand why ‘he’ is any different from ‘she’.”

Sheik spun on his heel, staring at Time incredulously. “ _What the fuck?_ ”

Time blinked. “Is that a rude question?”

“ _How do you even know that!?_ ”

“...was it supposed to be a secret?”

“Wh- ‘was it supposed to be a secret’, of course it was!” Sheik threw his hands up in the air in disbelief. “How did you even figure that out!?”

Time shuffled awkwardly. “Oh, um. Just a lot of little things, I guess? You like that chocolate that tastes like oranges, and you’re scared of spiders, and you’re really good with music- oh! And you taught me how to play that song that Impa used to play for you as a lullaby.”

Sheik just stared at him. “I… how long have you known?”

Time shrugged. “Um, a few years, now. I haven’t really kept track.”

“You… you never thought it was weird?”

“That you changed your name? I mean, I did too, kind of.”

“No, I- me being a boy.”

“...that part I’m still confused on. What’s the difference? Other than, uh. Stuff I’m not supposed to talk about.”

Sheik held his face in his hands. “ _Din, give me your strength,_ ” he muttered weakly. “I- okay, um. People treat you differently based on if they see you as a boy or as a girl. And I liked it better when they saw me as a boy,” he explained.

“Oh! That makes sense.” Time grinned. “Anyways, we should probably keep going. Navi says there’s a fairy fountain somewhere nearby.”

Sheik stood there motionless for a moment as Time continued forwards, before shaking his head to try and clear his thoughts. 

_Huh. Kid’s still full of surprises, it seems._

\---

The battle with Twinrova went quickly, with Sheik acting as a distraction while Time reflected their own magic back to them. Soon, Nabooru, leader of the Gerudo, was freed from them, and revealed as the Sage of Spirit.

Time and Sheik returned again to Lon Lon Ranch, where Malon awaited them and their stories. The three of them talked and ate and laughed together, excited by their victory. But it was a victory tainted by anxiety.

The Sages were gathered.

They knew what needed to be done.

“...I don’t want this to end,” Time admitted to Malon that night, as Sheik slept outside (he was too paranoid of potential attackers to be able to fall asleep without seeing his surroundings). “Is that bad?”

“You’ve gotten used t’ it,” Malon told him. “It’s not bad t’ be scared of lettin’ that go. Besides- everyone’s afraid of change, not just you.”

“I wish you could come with us.” His blond hair looked white in the moonlight that poured through the windows. “But I couldn’t stand seeing you get hurt.”

“Then ah’ll just wait for you t’ come back.”

“...what if I don’t? I don’t want to imagine it either, and- and I won’t let myself fail. But I don’t want you to wait for me if I’m not coming back.”

Malon sighed deeply. “Ah don’t know. Ah don’t wanna think about it.”

“I know.”

“...I guess… ah’ll keep livin’. Ah’ll mourn ya, but ah’ll keep livin’. Find a way t’ be happy. T’ keep going.”

Time smiled, looking, for once, so much older than he was. “That’s all I can ask.”

The room was quiet for a moment. Navi snored quietly, curled up on Time’s discarded cap. Owls called out in the darkness, met by the howling of the wind. It was peaceful. It was _perfect._

It was not meant to last.

“...it would’ve been my sixteenth birthday today,” Time whispered, unable to disrupt the still night. “As far as I can tell, I mean. I’ve been counting the day I left the forest as my ninth birthday.”

“...isn’t that-?”

“How old the Sword decided I needed to be? Yeah. It is.”

“...ah’m sorry. Ah wish… ah wish that-”

“Don’t,” said Time, placing his hand over hers. “Neither of us can change the past, not really. And… I wouldn’t give up these years even if I could. Not for all the rupees in the world.”

“...ah can’t tell if you’re flirtin’ with me or not.”

Time shrugged. “Neither can I? And you’re still a lot older than me. Which is weird.”

Malon snorted. “Never woulda thought you the type t’ go for older women, fairy boy.”

“Oh _shush-_ ”

\---

“Ah want ya t’ have this.”

“...this- this is your mother’s necklace, isn’t it?”  
  


“It’s yours now.”

“No, I- I can’t just take something like this-”

“That’s why ah’m _givin’_ it t’ ya, silly.”

“Malon… thank you. I promise to do everything I can to protect this.”

“You’d better, or else Ganondork’s gonna be th’ last of your worries.”

“ _Ganondork-_ ”

“Ah know what ah said, and ah meant it.”

Malon smiled softly as Time laughed, before pulling him into a tight hug.

“Now then… go save the world, fairy boy. Go save the world, and come back to me.”

\---

Sheik sat on the stairs of the Temple of Time, waiting patiently.

“I had this whole dramatic reveal planned out,” he mused, looking fairly glum. “I even practiced my illusion magic for this.” With a wave of his hand, his usual Sheikah garb vanished into motes of light, revealing what seemed to be a modified royal dress, turned into a fairly simple tunic paired with dun trousers and very pragmatic boots. “But _nooo,_ you just _had_ to go and ruin this for me.”

“Well ex _cuse_ me, _prince,_ it’s not my fault you can’t keep a secret.”

Sheik just stuck his tongue out. “Whatever. Anyways, we are actually here for a reason- this place is a focal point for certain types of magic, which I can use to make- these!” He pulled out a large bundle of arrows from the pack at his side, each arrow tipped with metal that seemed to dance like rippling water while glowing like the moon. “They’re light arrows, they should help with any kind of dark magic that Ganondorf uses to shield himself.”

“Oh! That’s clever,” said Time happily as he stored the arrows in his own pouch. 

“I also wanted to explain something to you,” Sheik added as Time sorted through the arrows. “It’s taken me a while to figure out the details, but I think I finally understand what exactly happened when you pulled the Master Sword. I think… I think we did exactly what Ganondorf wanted us to.”

Time stilled in his sorting, staring at Sheik. “What do you mean?”

“The Master Sword will only allow Hylia’s Chosen to wield it, which is why it was the perfect lock for the Sacred Realm,” Sheik explained. “The mark you had on your hand- it was a way of marking you as someone who, when the need arose, would take the mantle of Hero. Someone who could pull the Sword from its resting place.”

“...oh.”

“You have such a way with words.”

“I’m _processing,_ alright?”

“Anyways, when Ganondorf tried to steal the Triforce from the Sacred Realm, he disrupted its balance- it’s not really meant to be _whole_ like that, but rather, equalized between three individuals. Three individuals to represent three aspects: Courage,” Sheik pointed at Time, “Wisdom,” then pointed at himself, “and… Power.” He removed his left glove, showing the geometric mark on the back of his hand, now with the lower left section filled in. Time followed suit, looking at his own mark- the lower _right_ section was filled instead.

Sheik gently took his hand in his own, and the two marks glowed with a faint, golden light.

“We’re the only people who could use the Triforce’s power without it killing us,” he explained. “The two of us, and… Ganondorf.”

“He must’ve had the mark his whole life too,” Time mused, rubbing a thumb over the back of his hand. “I wonder if… if that’s why he went after the Triforce in the first place.”

**_You’re smarter than you look, little hero._ **

Time and Sheik both jumped to their feet, weapons immediately in hand. Right there, in front of the Temple of Time, stood Ganondorf, looking fairly annoyed.

“...you were going to do a dramatic reveal too, weren’t you?” realized Sheik, almost laughing. “Oh Hylia that’s hilarious.”

**_Quiet, princess-_ **

“Oh, fuck you!”

Ganondorf’s eyes flashed gold, and instantly Sheik was encased in a crystalline prison. His expression was one of pure indignation as he pounded against the transparent walls, but any noise he made was silenced.

**_Much better._ ** Ganondorf’s gaze returned to Time. **_Now we can speak properly._ **

“You’re not actually here, are you?” guessed Time, noticing the slight transparency to Ganondorf’s form. “Just an image of you.”

Ganondorf nodded. **_If I were truly present, you would attack me, which would be rather irritating. But first, I wish to ask you this: do you know what you fight for?_ **

“...what?” Time hadn’t really been expecting that.

**_You wish to return the Hylian royal family to power, yes? Do you know who you are fighting for? Your princess here-_ **

“Prince,” Time corrected. Ganondorf blinked curiously.

**_Ah. My mistake. Your prince here may be a friend to you, but what of the rest of his kind? What of those who constructed the Shadow Temple? Do you really wish to fight for_ ** **them?**

“...I don’t, though,” said Time. “I’m not a noble. I’m just a kid. I know that. But I also know that people are suffering because of you- not just Hylians, but Gorons, Zora- even your own people are suffering. Maybe- I don’t know, maybe you think you’re the good guy here, and if so, then… I’m sorry that I have to do this. But I won’t let more people get hurt!”

Ganondorf watched him with some surprise, though his expression stayed largely neutral. **_I am impressed, little hero. I will admit, I had thought your motives were driven purely by the royal family. But they are not._ ** He bowed his head in something akin to respect. **_I do not hate you, Hero of Time, and even if you should kill me, I still will not. But do not think I will be passive._ ** His eyes seemed to bore into Time’s soul as he spoke. **_If you try to retrieve your prince, I_ ** **will** **_not hesitate to try and kill you._ **

Time stared Ganondorf down, even though he knew he wasn’t exactly an impressive figure against the towering Gerudo man. “I know. I didn’t expect anything else.

Ganondorf nodded solemnly. **_Then, o Hero of Time, I shall await you in my castle._ ** He smiled politely, but Time could see the malice behind his eyes. **_And there, I shall be your downfall._ **

The image faded, and Time fell to his knees, his heart racing like a rabbit’s. Tears fell from his eyes unbidden, brought forth by sheer terror.

_“Are you okay?”_ asked Navi, ever so quietly, even though she already knew the answer.

Time sobbed silently, staring blankly at the Temple ahead of him. The only thing he could say was,

“I don’t want to die.”

\---

He’s silent all the way through the castle.

Navi tried to fill the silence, and while Time did listen to her, even respond with a nod or a shrug or the like, he didn’t say a word.

(He was certain that the moment he spoke, he’d start crying again.)

Each monster he encountered he destroyed with a frightening efficiency. Not a second was wasted. Time didn’t search the rooms, or look for hidden chests- he didn’t even break any of the pots, for Hylia’s sake. Navi stayed by his side, but… well, she was scared. 

What happened to the little boy she had chosen to help?

(She knew exactly what happened.)

(He’d grown up.)

Time took down another pair of Iron Knuckles, kicking them aside before moving on. Once his hand touched the door, though, he paused. 

“This is it,” he said flatly. Navi didn’t ask him how he knew. “...stay with me?”

_“Of course,”_ she promised him. Time nodded, and stepped through the door.

Ganondorf sat in a grand hall, his back turned to them as he played the massive organ that spanned most of the wall. Sheik was still contained in his crystalline prison, suspended high in the air.

Time wasted no time in shooting a light arrow straight at the King of Evil’s head.

Ganondorf simply tilted to the side, chuckling. “That’s not very polite, you know.”

Time didn’t respond.

“Oh? Have you nothing more to say, then?” Ganondorf stood, moving much more gracefully than his build might suggest. “Disappointing.”

Time unsheathed his sword, readying his stance.

“I would allow you to leave, if you wished to. Simply leave the prince and return to Lon Lon Ranch.”

He mentally checked and rechecked all of his equipment.

“Hmm.” Ganondorf’s face shifted from amusement to impassiveness. “Very well then, child. Let it not be said that I never showed you mercy.”

The ground burst open, and the battle began.

\---

In later years, Time would tell anyone who might ask that the battle was really just a blur to him.

This is a lie.

He remembers every movement he made, every parry, every attack.

They’ll tell him that in another reality, he died in that battle. He will believe them.

He will not tell them that he knows the exact moment he should have died.

One misstep had led to him almost wasting an extra arrow. 

The Beast pinned him to the ground, and Time reached for his final arrow. Rather than firing it, he drove it through the Beast’s skull.

(If he thinks about it too long, he starts seeing bits and pieces of that other reality. The one where he didn’t have that final arrow.)

(He will not tell them this, either.)

He will tell them about how it was Sheik who saved him, throwing the Master Sword back through the barrier. About how he joined the battle the moment the barrier dropped. About how exhausting the fight was.

He will not tell them what happened after.

He will not tell them about how Ganondorf- about how the _Beast_ was sealed away by the Sages. About how the Sages gave up their lives in doing so.

About what Sheik did afterwards.

He’d fought for so, so long. He was too tired to think, let alone argue. He’ll wonder if he should’ve. If he would’ve been able to convince Sheik otherwise.

But he didn’t.

He simply watched as Sheik held the ocarina against his lips and played a familiar song. Light surrounded Time and Navi, lifting away, and Sheik watched with tears in his eyes.

“Live, Time,” he’d told them. “Live the life I took from you.”

Time wanted to beg, to cry, to scream- _you owe me nothing, Sheik, you don’t need to do this-_

But he didn’t.

He didn’t.

The sun rose on a new day, and somewhere in the vastness of Hyrule field, a child with too many voices screamed to the goddesses for mercy.

The sun rose on a new day. And the goddesses did not reply.

**Author's Note:**

> I am _terrible_ at ao3 tags so if anyone can suggest what more I should add that would be fantastic


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